NEPAL, October 29, 2021 (NY Times): Roshan Mishra recalls standing inside the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia, staring into the eyes of a wooden Goddess that he believed was the same artifact that had disappeared nearly 50 years earlier from a local temple in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, where he lives. Mishra, director of the Taragaon Museum in…
UTTARAKHAND, INDIA, November 2, 2021 (Indian Express): Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had to face the ire of the priests in Kedarnath on Monday as he arrived at the Himalayan temple to offer prayers. Angry with Rawat as the Chardham Devasthanam Board was created through legislation during his chief ministership, the teerth purohits showed him black flags and shouted…
ATALAIA DO NORTE, BRAZIL, October 31, 2021 (Washington Post): Eliseio Marubo watched as the tribal leaders assembled before him. All had come, at his request, to put aside their differences and discuss what he called a common adversary. Their forest was beset by outsiders — illegal gold miners, land grabbers, deforesters. But the time had come to confront the one…
UNITED STATES, October 28, 2021 (RNS by Dheepa Sundaram): Religious rituals are sensory encounters. The smell of candles, incense, the taste of prasad, the blessed food at Hindu worship practices: Each is aimed at involving the whole body in the spiritual experience. A question for our pandemic times: Where do online rituals fit into this sensory realm? What would be…
ERNAKULAM, INDIA, October 25, 2021 (chinmayamission.com): A certificate program in Hindu Chaplaincy has been conceived by Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (CVV), Deemed University, Ernakulam, to train Spiritual Care Providers, or chaplains, to address the spiritual and emotional needs of individuals of Hindu faith in various settings, such as hospitals and hospices, schools and universities, communities, the military, corporations or interfaith settings within…
UK, October 25, 2021 (BBC): Artificial intelligence is changing how we interact with everything, from food to healthcare, travel and, now, also religion. Experts say major global faiths are discussing their relationship with AI, and some are starting to incorporate this technology into their worship. Robot priests can recite prayers, deliver sermons, and even comfort those experiencing a spiritual crisis.…
COMILLA, BANGLADESH, October 22, 2021 (Dhaka Tribune): Iqbal Hossain, the man believed to be responsible for placing a copy of the Holy Quran at a Durga puja mandap in Nanuardighi area of Comilla, has reportedly confessed to his crimes. A high-ranking police official in Comilla, who wished to remain unnamed, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune yesterday. The police official…
BANGLADESH, October 23, 2021 (The Business Standard): Iqbal Hossain, a reported drug addict believed to have placed the holy Quran at a puja mandap in Cumilla that instigated a spate of communal violence, was caught in at least four closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras – one of which was installed to guard fish farming pond. [He is seen with a mace…
INDIA, October, October 22, 2021 (Times of India): Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments minister P. K. Sekar Babu is devout, sports the tilak on his forehead and visits at least one temple a day – as part of his duty, of course. A crossover from the AIADMK, he had one request to late DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi [an outspoken atheist]…
DHAKA, BANGLADESH, October 15, 2021 (NY Times): Paramilitary forces spread through much of Bangladesh on Friday to help curb the worst communal violence in years targeting members of the Hindu minority as they celebrated their largest annual religious festival. At least four people have been confirmed to have died and more than 100 others wounded since Wednesday as violence expanded…